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The First Wave Of Feminism In The United States

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Feminism is described as organized activity on behalf of women's political, economic, and social equality, rights and interests (Beasley 1999). The first wave of feminism in the United States emerged between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century during the industrial period, primarily focusing on the rights for women to own and control property; access to equal education; and the right to vote in public elections (Janovicek 2015). The second wave of western feminism addressed sexual and reproductive oppressions as well as gender inequality in the workplace between 1960 and 1980, unlike the first wave which mainly focused on women’s suffrage and eliminating gender inequality (Scanlon 2009). However, each wave brought about the disregard …show more content…

The continuous criticism of exclusion led to the creation of intersectionality: the idea that different social groups face interdependent systems of discrimination based on interconnected identities (Schuster 2016). These intersecting identities include gender, race, social class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, age, mental and physical disability, as well as mental and physical illness (Crenshaw 1991). Black feminism, Latina feminism, and Islamic feminism uses the concept of intersectionality as a platform to reflect the intersecting experiences and multi-layered realities that women within these specific groups are …show more content…

Intersecting identities, including gender, sex, and religion, are interdependent causing interdependent systems of discrimination for different social groups (Schuster 2016). Black feminists, frustrated from experiencing sexism and racism from the black power movement, and the women’s rights movement, create a new form of social thought that which highlighted the interlocking systems of their unique oppressions (Lindsey 2014). In 1976 the court system failed to recognize sex-based and race-based discrimination as a single category of discrimination after five black women filed a lawsuit against the General Motors Corporation citing unfair termination (Crenshaw 2015). A framework which ignored the underlying intersection of their race and gender. Similarly, Latina feminism branched out of exclusion from the male dominated ethnic studies movements and the white dominated women’s movements; identifying the racial and gender specific intersections of Latina experience to challenge the interlocking structures of their oppressions (Ortega 2015). For example, in 1937 the U.S. permanently sterilized one-third of Puerto Rican women, using employer discrimination of mothers to attract unsuspecting women to participate in the procedure; disregarding the intersecting relationship

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In this paper I will be going over issue 17, “Has the Women’s Movement of the 1970’s Failed to Liberate American Women?”. Sara M. Evans and F. Carolyn Graglia each voice their opinions about the issue. They talk about the history of the women’s movement throughout time and the effects it had in our country. F. Carolyn Graglia writes about how she agrees the movement has failed to liberate American women. Her views on feminism concluded that the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s was a reasonable but a faulty idea, in that it was based on a worthy opinion (that all men and women should be equal).

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In “Intersectional Resistance and Law Reform,” Dean Spade proposes that the United States was founded through “racialization…(which) continues to operate under new guises… that produce, manage, and deploy gender categories and sexuality and family norms” (16). More over, these laws and norms tend to maintain the “status quo,” and employ an inherently flawed justice system that is only equipped to address single-axis discrimination issues (5). Thus, the intersectionality movement is largely dismissed by the social and justice systems, as it utilizes “critical intersectional tools… that are often (too) difficult for legal scholars to comprehend” (17). Interstionality’s progress is also impeded by advocates leaving to support single-axis issues. However, Spade warns that this approach is ineffective, as it fails to protect the most marginalized members of society.

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In “Coalitions as a Model for Intersectionality: From Practice to Theory,” Elizabeth Cole addresses how the intersectional approach should be utilized to form coalitions that seek to advance marginalized populations (1). However, unlike the feminist movement, that narrowly defined its goals and constituency, these newly formed coalitions should be broad based, incorporating diverse populations and directives. Moreover, the alliances can even be formed by seemingly unlike populations, which when analyzed through the intersectional lens, may share similar experiences and goals. In addition, by examining the numerous axis of gender, race, and other intersectional components, one can identify other similarities not previously recognized.

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The authors stress that the impact of patriarchy on women, along with issues of class and race, is significant. They view intersectionality as an aspect to consider when understanding oppression. By defining it as the connection between forms of discrimination like racism, sexism, and classism, they set the stage for their argument. They believe that looking at intersectionality offers an approach to addressing the hurdles black women encounter and stresses the need to consider various forms of oppression in fights for freedom. In their analysis, they show how intersectionality shapes their views on justice and feminist

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Crenshaw (1989, 1993) argued that race and gender are not mutually exclusive social identities that a Black woman experiences, the intersection of race and sexuality go accordantly with each other. Similarly, hooks argued that they are equally congruent values to the lives of those affected by such identities (2000). Crenshaw (1989) criticized the feminist movement for its failure to consider and promote the voices of women in the margins; the women who occupy more than one oppressed space and hold more than one oppressed status because of their race, sexuality, class, as well as gender. She noted, in “mapping the margins,” as did hooks, that some women are so oppressed in ways other than their gender that they do not see the feminist movement

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Failure to include protections for Chicanas allowed racial ideologies to affect birth controlling, leading to more forced sterilizations. While the Chicano movement did try to combat the racial economic barriers that Chicanas faced, they failed to understand the intersectionality of race and gender. Chicanas in the documentary No Más Bebés revealed that they did not tell their families about their sterilizations because women in their culture who could not give birth were deeply frowned upon. One women said she feared telling her husband about her coerced sterilization because she thought her husband would equate her to a prostitute and throw her out on the street.

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According to Nicki L. Cole’s article, “Definitions of Intersectionality,” the concept of intersectionality “refers to the simultaneous experience of categorical and hierarchical classifications,” including race, class, and gender. Consequently, the different forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, and sexism, depend on one another and intersect to form “a unified system of oppression” (Cole). Using the concept of intersectionality as an “analytical tool,” social scientists may research “how different forms of privilege and oppression exist simultaneously in shaping [one’s] experiences in [society]” (Cole). In the article, “The Case for Reparations,” the concept of intersectionality reveals that capitalists purposely pitted the various

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also, the intersectional nature of gender inequality cannot be ignored. Women from marginalized communities face even greater obstacles due to their intersecting

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Despite the discrediting of biological underpinnings of race arguments, social scientists argue that race must be retained and used in our expla- nations of societal issues. Through intersectional analysis, we can see how experiences of discrimination and inequality are compounded and intensified for individuals who occupy intersecting marginalized identities. By considering the intersection of race and other social categories, we can begin to address and dismantle systemic structures of oppression in contemporary popular culture. 15. Race, gender, and

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The Intersectionality of Race, Class, and Gender: Understanding Marked and Unmarked Categories Introduction The concept of intersectionality has gained significant attention in recent years, especially in academic and social justice circles. Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness of various social categories, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability, and how these intersect to shape individuals' experiences. The idea of marked and unmarked categories is a key aspect of intersectionality, particularly in relation to racial identities. This essay will explore the concept of marked and unmarked categories, with a focus on race, class, and gender, using references from Kimberlé Crenshaw's TED Talk, Lisa Wade's Gender Sociology, and @PracticalPsychologyTips' YouTube video on Social Identity Theory.

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Intersectionality is a feminist sociological theory that was first highlighted by Kimberle Crenshaw. It’s a methodology of studying the relationships among modalities of intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, and discrimination. The instructional approach is a scholar, which recognizes the importance among men and women rather than the differences between them. Feminist argued that sex, gender and race are known as intersecting oppressions.

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Intersectional analysis still matter because race still matters in this generation. Intersectional analysis is a theory of discrimination with an individual identity, race, sex, age, and other characteristics. I personally think that not only women face intersectionality but men do as well. In this essay, I will argue that bell hooks’ main argument is how white people do not know what people of colour are going through and how “whiteness” has more privileges then the blacks. hooks approach is intersectional because people of colour are being treated as slaves to the “white” just because of their race and at times their gender.

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Without applying intersectionality in analysis, oppression can only be understood in general terms, which can cause forms of oppression to become undetected (Mattsson, 2014). Instead, intersectionality, demonstrates the complexity of gender, sexuality, class, and race avoiding stereotypes as a whole, rather than simplifying an individual based on one characteristic (Mattsson, 2014). For example, when I was working at a Community Centre in the Jane and Finch area, I had a conversation with my co-worker. He described the barriers and struggles he has faced because of his race and socioeconomic status. It was through this conversation that I realized the pre-conceived notions my co-worker had about me, as a white individual who did not grow-up in the same neighbourhood.

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The article displayed a discussion between a white woman and a black woman, where the white woman felt that she and the black woman had undergone the same form of discrimination because they were both women. In contrast, the other woman had argued that she had faced further forms of discrimination because she was black. While intersectionality doesn’t strictly refer to race, it’s true that both women hadn’t undergone the exact same types of discrimination, because the white woman has more privilege. To reiterate the main argument, this example can be applied to various types of people and their experiences with human rights violations and

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Kareen Harboyan English 1C Professor Supekar March 15, 2018 Word Count: Crenshaw’s Mapping the Margins: The Marginalization of Women of Color Analyzed Through Generalization and A Feminist Lens Crenshaw's Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color expands on the multifaceted struggles of women of color and the generalizations ingrained in society that limit women of color and keep them in a box. In this text, Crenshaw builds on the concept of intersectionality which proposes that social categorizations such as gender and race are intertwined and have great influence on one another.

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